If giving campaigns are something you’ve struggled with in the past – or not even begun to explore – take a look at Library Giving Day. Brainchild of the Seattle Public Library Foundation, this one-day giving “holiday” is devoted solely to library causes and coincides with National Library Week. Last year, more than 500 organizations from across the country took part!

Next month (April 3-5), thousands of library staff and leaders will congregate in Columbus, Ohio for the biennial Public Library Association (PLA) conference. PLA is often hailed as the pre-eminent professional development opportunity for the field of public librarianship. While the conference is open to supporters like Friends, in-person participation is cost prohibitive for most volunteers. Fortunately for us, virtual tickets are also on offer!

April brings with it one of the best opportunities all year round to celebrate and promote our public libraries. National Library Week, coordinated by the American Library Association, runs April 7-13, 2024. Each year brings a distinct thematic focus. For this, the 66th iteration of National Library Week, that theme is "Ready, Set, Library." Highlights within National Library Week include National Library Workers Day (April 9) and Take Action for Libraries Day (April 11).

Last year, Friends of the Library elsewhere in the country coordinated programs running a wide gamut: from readathons and spelling bees, to cooking demos and fashion shows, and even charity 5ks and relay races! We know for a fact that Friends here in Minnesota have not been idle, either. Our annual Evy Nordley Award for Best Project is the perfect way to learn about and share your group highlights from 2023.

In our decades of work with Friends, MALF’s board has picked up on an interesting disconnect. Most volunteer-run groups are fortunate to boast at least a few “standout” members – movers and shakers whose dedication, creativity and boundless energy help the organization overcome obstacles and adapt to meet new needs. What is lacking, in contrast, are good opportunities to acknowledge these outstanding contributors.

Friends of the Library across the country have found great success coordinating author-centered fundraisers. Minnesota is a hotbed for such events. MALF’s first webinar of 2024 will showcase three standout author programs coordinated by Friends across our state. We hope you will join us over the lunch hour on Tuesday, January 23 to hear about...

William Lambert is well known to regulars at the Kasson Public Library, and so is his trusty GMC Sierra 1500 pickup. Both are central to the success of the Friends of Kasson Public Library’s biannual book sales. “Will manages the sales from start to finish – planning, scheduling, and staffing,” shared group treasurer John Talcott.

Friends of the Library across the country have found great success coordinating author-centered fundraisers. Minnesota is a hotbed for such events! MALF’s first webinar of 2024 will showcase three standout author programs coordinated by Friends across our state.

What have you been up to lately? It’s not a rhetorical question. Minnesota’s impressive Friends of the Library community orchestrate scores of creative and successful programs each year – and MALF wants to hear about them! Our annual Evy Nordley Award for Best Project is the perfect way to learn about and share community highlights from 2023.

As excited as we are to greet the New Year, it brings with it a few changes that are bittersweet. MALF bids a fond farewell to four members of its board of directors: Sue Grove (Austin); Melissa Brechon (Little Canada); Marge McPeak (Tower); and Kathy Sacchetti (Tower).

Recent studies calculate the nationwide, averaged value of volunteer time at an eye-popping $31.80 – per hour. Let’s use that as the basis of a thought experiment. By our most cautious count, our member network here at the Minnesota Association of Library Friends boasts a collective reach of more than 19,000 library-lovers across our great state. If each of these Friends of the Library volunteered just one hour of time to their group in 2023, that would ladder up to an instant $604,200 investment in our libraries!

Thanks to everyone who joined us this month for Warm Reads For Cold Nights: Minnesota Authors Recommend. It was a jam-packed hour with quality suggestions to match every reader profile. Our featured guests, Shannon Blackmer (Milkweed Editions) and Matt Smiley (University of Minnesota), shared hot-off-the-presses recommendations that ran a truly wide gamut: from Godzilla, to ethnobotany, to time-tested smokehouse techniques.